Fee Reimbursement Scheme also called as Post Matric Scholors' is a student education sponsorship Programme by Government of Andhra Pradesh. It supports students belonging to economically weaker sections in the state. In 2012-13, more than 600,000 students in professional colleges were covered under the scheme, including around 150,000 students in engineering colleges. From 2013 to 2014, the government has made Aadhaar number mandatory for students availing the scholarship.
Contents
History
The Fee Reimbursement programme was started in 2008 during the tenure of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy The government spent Rs.2,000 crore in 2008-09 and shot up to Rs.5, 000 crore in 2012-13.
The Scheme
The scheme covers students pursuing professional courses like engineering, medicine, MBA, MCA, B Ed etc.
Controversies
The scheme has been under controversies with some institutions misusing it. The government is planning to reduce the scholarship to Rs.35,000 for the year 2013-14.After the separation of Telangana from Andhra, the fee reimbursement has become a bone of contention between Andhra and Telangana. The new clause introduced by the Telangana government has affected around 39,000 Andhra-origin students who had done their schooling and college education in Telangana.